As I progress with my judo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu trials and tribulations, I am becoming proficient enough to understand what I'm doing wrong. I'll take this as a sign of wisdom and experience, rather than incompetence. Hopefully, sharing my mistakes will help others avoid those mistakes, and speed them along the proper path.
A straight ankle lock is a staple of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. It is common for someone passing an opponent's guard to go straight into this submission attempt, rather than finishing the guard pass to improve position. You trap the lower part of your opponent's leg inside your armpit, with your forearm pressing in on their Achilles tendon. If the fit is snug, it does not take a lot of pressure to generate a great deal of pain.
Here's a list of three mistakes I consistently make as I'm learning the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu straight ankle lock:
1) I don't drive my opponent's leg forward
As I'm passing the open guard and trap my opponent's leg in my armpit, his ankle is behind me. If I try to trap his leg at this point, I'm dealing with a lot of muscle in their calf, so the grip will not be as tight as I slide down toward where I want to apply the pressure. It is important for me to push his leg forward when he's still in open guard, so his ankle is slightly in front of me before I finish trapping it. That way, I'm not wasting time readjusting where my forearm should go across his leg - it's already there.
2) I fall back too far
When I have the ankle trapped, my next step is to sit back. Not fall back; sit back, so that my butt is as close to my opponent as possible. The father away I am from my opponent, the more likely it is for two bad things to happen as I try to finish the hold. One, it will be harder for me to maintain control of my opponent's movement, which is vital to for any successful submission attempt. Two, I will be forced into leaning backward on their foot. I don't want the pressure to come from bending their foot back; I want it to come from my forearm coming up on their Achilles tendon.
3) I extend my legs over the top
I've successfully trapped their ankle from open top guard. And I've sat straight down, so I'm close. I can (and usually do) still put myself in a bad spot by leaving one or both of my feet where my opponent can reach them. My natural tendency may be to drape a leg over the top of the leg I'm attacking, to try to control it. But it will also give my opponent a chance to apply a leg lock of his own. In many matches, you'll see guys with dueling straight ankle locks, and it becomes a contest of who can apply the hold better, and who can withstand the most pain.
If it's a pain management contest, I'm pretty sure I'm going to lose...and I'm darn sure I don't want to play it regardless. I'd rather not give him the chance to get my ankle, and sacrifice a bit of control.
In a time when most Brazilian Jiu Jitsu school focus primarily on chokes and upper body locks, leg attacks are becoming a lost art. Knowing a few simple ones will add an important dimension to your ground game. Don't make my mistakes, and you'll see rapid improvement.
Paul Herzog and his son Christopher have been taking judo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu instruction at Petushin Martial Arts since the new Rosemount, Minnesota facility opened in 2010. In addition to receiving some of the best grappling instruction in the Midwest, Paul has lost 30 pounds, and Chris has gained strength and self-confidence. If either of those sounds appealing, please contact the academy at 612-991-9116 or go to http://www.petushinmartialarts.com/ to arrange your first visit!
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